Life Without A Slacker
by DisneyStar4Ever
Summary: After accidentally hitting Mordecai with his car, Benson begins to wonder what his life would be like without the blue jay. Mordecai/Benson oneshot friendship


**Life Without A Slacker**

**Story idea requested by bg52598. Title and summary also by her too :)**

**Thanks for helping me write it as well! :D**

**Now, this idea was difficult for me to write. The writing style is extremely different (for the first part), kinda going out of my "comfort writing zone" here, and I apologize if anyone is OOC.**

**I wouldn't really call this story a oneshot, even though it is meant to be one :P **

**Bensons POV**

Finished!" I say, throwing my hands up. I wait for the echoing of my voice to stop bouncing around the room before collapsing in my chair. Glancing at the clock up on the wall, I see the time to be 9:00pm, and I rub my temples in frustration. 6 hours. It took me 6 hours to clean up the papers Mordecai and Rigby had scattered throughout the house. Not to mention the fight they had with water balloons, which they threw around the house, leaving the papers to stick on the walls. Not only did they get the house, but they also got me too. Before I had the chance to yell at the them, I felt myself rust up, and I assumed they saw it too, because they just looked at me with stupid smiles then ran in the other direction.

Thanks to Skips, the water in the house has all been cleaned up and he got the oil can and sprayed it on me, so I'm perfectly fine now, except for the throbbing headache pounding against my head. Skips had to leave to finish fixing his truck, so that just left me to clean up the rest of the papers. A couple of hours later, I heard the two slackers come back into the house, then the familiar sound of their stupid game being switched on, following the irritating music belonging to "Karate Choppers". Don't ask how I know. Please. Because I was too furious with the two, I did what my anger management pamphlet told me to do, and just sat in my office, silently cursing to nothing as my pen made scribbles across the paper on my desk.

6 hours later and here I am, with my eyes closed and the headache beginning to vanish because of the pills I just took. The paperwork has all been completed, filed neatly in the folder that is sitting on my desk, reminding me off the amount of time I had to waste writing up pointless reports.

Skips and Muscle Man and HFG went home straight after they'd finished their chores. Since Pops lives here, he is asleep across the hall and Mordecai and Rigby, because they have nowhere to live, reside in said house and are, I think, asleep. Because if they're playing video games, I swear...

I hear the sound of nails tapping against glass and force my eyes to open. Turning my head to the sound, I see it not being nails, but rain. Just to make my night even worse, I have to drive home in the rain. My headache suddenly comes back and I instantly slap my hand against my glass forehead. A growl escapes my lips as I push my chair back and, picking up the folder filled with papers, take a deep breath to calm my anger and walk to the door. I open it, and carefully walk down the stairs. I don't even need to look to the lounge to know the video game is switched off and my instant thought is they're both asleep. Holding the folder above my head, I open the front door, shut it then brace myself as I run towards my car with half open eyes

The warmth in the car absorbs my shivering body and I am soon warm. I move the dial to turn the heater up then throw my folder in the back seat, the drops of rain water slipping on the cushioned seat. I turn back to face the front, and start the car. The engine roars to life, and I push my foot on the pedal.

As I drive out the park gates, the rain suddenly worsens and pelts down harder against my car roof. I feel the heat from the heater against my body and, satisfied with the temperature, switch the heater off. Looking back up to the front, I gasp. The rain is bucketing down now, blocking my vision to the road in front of me. My hand moves to flip the light switch but even with the lights blaring in front of the car, I can still barely see. I squint my eyes and lean forward, my eyes often catching the rain drops sliding on the windscreen.

My mind slowly slips into random thoughts as it does and I feel myself loosen up, my muscles becoming less tense than before, the headache finally disappearing. A rough bump brings me back and my eyes begin to focus again, only to see blackness ahead of me. "Stupid cats," I mutter, "Where are the owners nowdays?"

"Oww," My body freezes. What was that? The sound is louder now and I slow the car down, thinking the sound is just the cats poor meow. Everything is silent until a whimper followed by a choked sob makes me think otherwise. Cats don't sob. I pull to the side of the curb and shut the car engine off then open my door. Grabbing two black coats, one for me and one for whatever the heck is lying on the road, I step out my door and stand there for a few moments, trying to see through the rain pelting my glass head.

I squint my eyes to see better, which miraculously works, and see a long figure spread out on the road. Clutching the other black coat in my hand, I catiously step towards the figure sprawled on the tar, soaking up the water in it's...feathers? My eyes widen and I feel the sick rise in my throat.

Mordecai is laying face up on the road, his feathers ruffled. Tire marks from where I hit him are marked on his stomach. His beak is closed as are his eyes and when I step even closer towards him, the light that I was unknowingly blocking from my headlights give me a better view of him.

There is no blood, I see, as I kneel down next to him. But there are a few cuts on his face and as my eyes begin to focus more, I notice his arm has been twisted. A few dark bruises are on his body, and the sight makes me want to be sick, but I manage to hold it down. The coat hanging on my arm is soaked now, too late for me to wrap around Mordecai's body. I place my fingers inches from his nose and wait for a few seconds to feel his warm breath on my cold metal hand. Fear lurks in the pit of stomach when I feel nothing. Keeping my eyes on him, and a hand on his chest, I pull out my phone and call the ambulance.

* * *

"So you're telling me you hit him, but it was an accident?" The police officer repeats yet again, and like the first 10 times, I sigh.

"Yes Sir," I answer, too tired to argue, "It was an accident, I swear"

The officer narrows his eyes but he must see my exhausted form, because for what feels like eternity, his eyes finally relax and he leans back in his chair, "Alright," he says, "Because it's 11:00pm on a Wednesday night, I'll let you off the hook but if I hear anything else about you, you're going straight to jail. Got it?"

"Yes Sir," I repeat. He must be a rookie. Other cops usually say a stupid sentence that rhymes when they threaten someone. He glances at me one last time with those dark eyes before standing up and turning around. I let my head thunk against the table as I hear his footsteps gradually get quieter and quieter till they disappear and are soon replaced with a tapping noise that gets louder and louder with every rushing step.

I lift my head and my eyes widen when I see a tear streaked Rigby running towards me. I stand up from the table, now fully awake at the raccoons sudden appearance.

"Rigby," I say.

He ignores me, the tears streaming down his cheeks, running through his fur. "Monster!" He stops in front of me and begins to punch my metal body, "You monster!"

"Rigby," I say again, and gently take his shoulders to push him back, but he pushes my hands away, and continues to punch me.

"How can you do this to him! He was my best bro! I hate you!" Rigby continues, yelling whatever insult he can think of. I roll my eyes at his immature behaviour, and I gently place my hands on his shoulders, not pushing him back or shaking him. Just standing there, waiting for him to stop.

He throws punch after punch, and when he realizes they have no affect on my metal body, he stops, and looks up at me, tears streaming down his cheeks, saturating his fur. His expression is one of a small child who has lost his favourite toy and can never have it back. This makes my expression suddenly soften.

As I bend down to Rigbys level, I realize how calm I am in this situation. Although I can see my hands are shaking on Rigby shoulders, I don't feel as sick as I felt when I discovered Mordecais body, but I do feel a little better when I look at Rigby, directly at him.

I give a comforting smile, my hands still on his shoulders. "Listen Rigby, I can understand why you're upset and I'm truly sorry for what has happened tonight. What I did was an honest accident, but I can't do anything to change it. From what I know, Mordecai has a few cuts and bruises, his arm is broken, and he's in a concussion."

The news makes Rigby suddenly tear up again, but I continue, "But the doctors said he'll wake. They've ran a few tests and they've all came back fine, so don't worry so much about it. Just try to take a few deep breaths to calm yourself, then we'll both go in Mordecais room and wait for him to wake, ok?"

Rigby glances down at the floor then back up at me. His eyes still shine with tears but a small smile is there. He sniffs, "Ok. Thanks Benson"

I take my hands off his shoulders and, seeing through the smile, more tears threatening to spill, hold my arms out. He walks towards me with his eyes closed and rests his head in my chest as I wrap my arms around him. I feel Rigby suddenly shake and I take a deep breath. _This must be hard for Rigby, _I think, _Usually, Mordecais the strong one, having to face Rigbys death twice. But now...it's Rigbys turn to be the strong one, and this has never happened to him before.__  
_

Through the thoughts in my mind, I feel Rigbys head lift of my shoulder and he's facing me, looking back at me with shining eyes, the smile there again.

I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes and stand before they can spill down my cheeks. "Come on Rigby," I say, "Lets go see Mordecai"

"Ok," he says and walks beside me as we take the short journey to Mordecais ward.

I shove my hands in my pockets to stop them from shaking and as I do, I see Rigby glance up at me with a questionable look, "What is it?" I say, not waiting for him to ask a question. I'm sick of the silence anyway.

"Why was there a police officer sitting with you?"

I sigh, "He was asking me questions about me hitting Mordecai"

"...Oh", he says, and the silence is there again, bugging me. My mind runs with questions to ask Rigby, any question, just to get rid of the silence. One in particular strikes me and makes me confused as I glance down at Rigby.

"What was Mordecai doing outside at night anyway?"

"I don't know," he says with a shrug, "He went to bed then when I woke up a few hours later, he was gone. He didn't tell me where he was going before when we were playing video games"

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

Rigby shakes his head, "No. I did think that he could of gone to the coffee shop, but it's not open at this time of night"

I shrug and let the silence follow, instead of an answer. Rigby doesn't say more, so we just carry on walking until we reach Mordecai's ward.

Both of us hesiate outside the door, fearing the worst, until Rigby grips the door handle and turns it, opening the door.

The room is enclosed in complete darkness, the only light shining from the heartbeat monitor beeping every few seconds. I stand next to Rigby for a few moments, letting my eyes adjust to the dark and when they do, I begin to make out Mordecais body.

His chest is slowly rising and falling and his eyes are closed. I step forward and my eyes drift over his body, where I see the bruises have gone down slightly. His left arm is in a cast, held up by a small metal step. The cuts on his face have been covered by bandages and over his beak is an oxygen mask. The sight brings tears to my eyes and I sit in the chair already pulled up next to Mordecai.

"Benson...?"

I look up at Rigby, who is on the other side of the bed, his hand on Mordecais arm, "Is he going to be ok?", he asks, his voice waving slightly.

I glance at the oxygen mask and bite my lip, "Only time can tell," I reply.

Rigby takes a deep breath, "I need to go to the bathroom," he says after a while. I nod then look back up and see tears streaming down his cheeks. My mind is a haze as I watch him leave, the soft click as the door shuts behind him. I tear my eyes from the door and look back at Mordecai again.

As soon as I do, a thought clouds my mind.

What would life be like without Mordecai?

_I throw my pen down on the desk and lean back in the seat, closing my eyes. It's been 2 months since Mordecais death and everythings changed. When the doctors said he wouldn't live, Rigby held onto me, trying to fight back the tears, but he refused to believe the doctors words. He still wore that smile on his face around the park, even when a few weeks had passed and Mordecai still hadn't woken, but it was a broken smile. Blind to the others but visible to me, and it pained me to see Rigby forcing this upon himself, this belief he carried with himself everyday._

_January 12th we got the news. He screamed at me, yelled at me it was all my fault Mordecai had died, and all I could do was stand there, watch as the tears splashed on the carpet. _

_He ran out the house then and I called after him but he didn't turn once. I got his 2 week notice a day after that. He'd quit. And he'd never be coming back._

_What could I do but hire two new employees, but no one could ever replace the two slackers who had bought meaning to my life. _

_I look out the window now and see the two new employees, Scraps and Lucus, who are getting on with their jobs. My throat is raw from crying, my eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, my body too weak to move. All I can do is watch Scraps and Lucus with glazed eyes, memories of the former duo who had stood in their places flashing in my mind, one moment after another. _

_Nothing happens here anymore. It's casual, normal, and even though I'm getting that long promotional dream from Mr Maellard, I can still feel the pain in my heart everytime Maellard mentions Mordecai and Rigby, often forgetting their names with Scraps and Lucus._

_The others didn't take the news well. Pops stays with his father, saying the house bought back too many good memories he had with not only Rigby, but Mordecai as well. Skips doesn't show up to work that often but when he does, he hardly talks to me and just gets on with whatever work needs to be done. Same goes with Muscle Man and HFG, but it's like they're both robots; doing the work, and since Mordecais death, Muscle Man hasn't said a "my mom" joke once._

_It took a while for me to realize that what has been going on is real. But once it sunk in, I couldn't believe it, couldn't take it all in. It was only when Lucus and Scraps appeared at the front door, that it had finally taken a toll on me and I felt like collapsing. I had to carry on with my life. I had to face the music, accept what had happened, and just...move on. But deep inside me, I knew I couldn't. I couldn't replace them. I couldn't try to change anything. I couldn't wish myself back 2 months ago, back when I was driving home on that rainy night, that fateful night, when..._

_A burst of rage rips through me and I stand up. I sweep my hands on the desk, hearing the crashing of papers, folders and desk supplies land on the floor. I go around the room in a blind fit of anger; ripping down the pictures, tearing up pieces of filed paper, throwing staplers at the walls._

_I stop and look around at the destruction I've caused. My knees suddenly collapse and I fall on the floor, crying and crying until night comes, until silence engulfs the house, until morning shines through my window, and I'm still left in a mess that I can't change._

"No...," I hear myself whisper. The sound of the heart monitor breaks me from my nightmareish future, and when I look back down at the blue jay, I see tears on the oxygen mask, my hand on his arm, "Please..." I choke, "Please don't leave..."

My vision blures and I blink, letting my tears fall on the bed. I close my eyes, listening to the heart monitor, the slow breathing of Mordecai, the chatter amongst nurses and doctors, and soon, I feel myself slipping away...until I feel something shift underneath my arm.

I open my eyes. _Did I imagine it? _My lips crease into a smile when I see his eyes slowly open. _No_

"Benson?"

He can barely open his eyes from the accident, he can only open them halfway. I feel hot tears roll down my cheeks, my heart beating rapidly. I nod, "Yes," I say softly.

He smiles, the most gentle smile I've seen. We don't say anything for a while and I just watch his breath fog up the oxygen mask, but we don't question if he should take it off or not.

Relief crashes over me and I can't stop the tears from running down my face. He notices and moves to wipe them away, but I move before he can. He smiles, "Hey, don't cry dude. I'm awake aren't I?"

I nod. "Yeah. Yeah you are," I say.

He pauses to look around the room, "Where am I?"

"You're...you're in hospital"

"Hospital? What am I doing...," his voice trails off and I can see the realization has hit him. He pouts and avoids my gaze.

"Mordecai, I'm sorry-"

"No, I'm sorry Benson. I was the one who ran out in front of the car," he reaches up to clutch at his head, "I was just so excited to give Rigby that new video game, that I didn't look when I crossed the road and..." he lets go of his head with a sigh, letting his arms drop by his side. He meets my gaze, but doesn't any thing more.

I hear the door shut behind me, "Hey Benson, is Mordecai awak-"

Mordecai looks past me and smiles. In one quick move, Mordecai rips the mask off and wraps Rigby in a hug. I watch the scene between the two unfold before me.

"Hey Rigby," Mordecai says, smiling, "Whats up?"

Rigby doesn't answer and I don't think Mordecai expects him to. They stay there until a doctor comes in the room, carrying a clipboard.

He looks up and smiles when he sees Mordecai sitting up, "Oh, you're awake"

* * *

"I'm sorry Mordecai," I tell him again as I sit on the end of his bed.

We got back at the house at around 2:00am, entering the house as quietly as we could as to not wake Pops.

Rigby's downstairs in the lounge, playing "Alley Fight Dudes 2," the new game Mordecai bought for him. Rigby's too happy about Mordecai waking up, so now he's wide awake, residing on the couch for the rest of the morning.

Mordecais arm is still in a cast; when he awoke, he got to choose what colour he wanted. After some persuading from Rigby, who was way to eager for such a simple choice, Mordecai ended up choosing blue, which was much to the anger of Rigby who wanted fluorescent green. The doctor said Mordecai won't be able to remove the cast till two weeks are up, but the news didn't bother him. It was only two weeks, he told me while we were driving home.

"It's ok Benson. Really. Besides the few bandages on my head, the faded bruises all over my body and the cast wrapped around my arm, I'm perfectly fine, so don't make such a fuss about it," he says with a smile.

I sigh, "Ok" We sit in silence, both of us looking at nothing. The nightmare I had back at the hopsital strikes me and I look back at Mordecai, my mouth open to tell him everything. _It's better off he doesn't know,_ something tells me. I close my mouth and smile, reassuring Mordecai, who is looking at me, confused. "Because of this little incident, I'm letting you take the day off Mordecai. Only one day off. Got that? I say, trying sound like my usual self.

He smiles and nods, "Yes Benson," he says, smirking at the joke shared between us.

I chuckle then stand and walk towards the door. I reach up to flip the light off, "Night Mordecai"

He smiles, "Night Benson"

I step through the doorway, then glance back at Mordecai, who has already fallen asleep. I can't help but smile again as I shut the door with a soft click.


End file.
